8 Unwritten Rules of the Workplace

Every office has its quirks when it comes to etiquette, but some of the universal rules of good behavior seem so obvious that they’re easily overlooked. Are you the person who’s always dropping off your glass in the kitchen sink with the intention of washing it…later? Think your colleagues—not to mention your managers—haven’t noticed? What might that sloppiness say about your ability to finish a task for the team, or your willingness to take responsibility?

How you function in your office environment reflects how you work in general. So while the little things may seem insignificant, it’s smart to keep the big picture in mind. Here are eight rules you shouldn’t forget:

1. Read the manual.

If your company provides an employee manual, regardless of its size or how well written it is, read this rulebook from cover to cover. The employee manual not only tells you what to expect in the office environment, it also acts as a formal map to help navigate the corporate culture.

2. Use proper channels.

Carefully consider the corporate hierarchy as you navigate your workplace. Complaining about a project to the CEO before discussing your concerns with the project lead probably isn’t in the best interest of your project or your team.

Whether you’re speaking with the receptionist, shipping clerk, or a manager, you should be able to have friendly, passing conversations with colleagues. “You have to establish a human link,” Schumacher says. Later, when you need something from a co-worker, you’ll have a better chance of getting cooperation from the woman who told you about her new grandchild than the guy you ignored each time you met in the kitchen.

How you function in your office environment reflects how you work in general.

5. Clean up your kitchen mess.

Remember that you aren’t working with your mother, and even if you are, she doesn’t want to clean up after you. Clear off crumbs from countertops and clean your chili splatter from the microwave so you aren’t known as the office slob.

6. Do vent, but only outside the office.

No one wants to work with a constant complainer, regardless of whether you’re whining about your office manager or your offspring. And if you must vent, do it with a friend or family member instead of with a colleague.

7. Respect space.

Even if your office doesn’t have walls and doors, employees have personal space and professional deadlines. Every time you yell across the room to one colleague, you disturb everyone else in the room. When you lean over the cubicle wall to talk to a co-worker, you also interrupt their productivity, so consider checking in via email or instant message before you cut into someone’s concentration.

8. Deal with deadlines.

When your boss gives you a deadline, be sure to understand what her deadline means. Does your manager need a report by this Thursday in order to review it by the following Thursday? Knowing this deadline detail gives you a little more wiggle room to ask for an extension if it means you can deliver a more accurate report, for example. On the other hand, your manager could say the report is due on Thursday, but what she really means is she wants it on her desk first thing Thursday morning so she can review the results by noon and turn it over to the board by 3PM. In this case, you can forget the wiggle room.